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US services firms growing more quickly

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014 file photo, Towne East J.C. Penney employees Tori Goldsmith, from left, Carla Fuller and Brian Hill stock men's socks as they prepare for Thanksgiving Day sales, in Wichita, Kan. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, issues its index of non-manufacturing activity for November on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Mike Hutmacher, File) FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014 file photo, Towne East J.C. Penney employees Tori Goldsmith, from left, Carla Fuller and Brian Hill stock men's socks as they prepare for Thanksgiving Day sales, in Wichita, Kan. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, issues its index of non-manufacturing activity for November on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Mike Hutmacher, File)

By Associated Press December 3, 2014 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. services firms expanded at a faster pace in November, a signal that overall economic growth should remain robust.

The Institute for Supply Management says its services index rose to 59.3 last month, up from 57.1 in October. The index reached 59.6 in August, the highest in eight years. Any reading over 50 indicates expansion.

The ISM is a trade group of purchasing managers. Its survey of services firms covers businesses that employ 90 percent of the American workforce, including retail, construction, health care and financial services firms.